Question:
I believe I have allergies, probably because of tree pollen, I think. What
do you think? My symptoms occasionally are, when I go out and run in the
morning around 6 a.m., during the course of the day, my throat is somewhat
constricted. I find it difficult to talk. I don't have any sniffles, or
any problems with my eyes. I've noticed when I'm running sometimes in the
morning, my lips tend to burn ever so slightly. But at this point, I'm
thinking I must have these allergies because of the tree pollen, which is
very high right now. I haven't experienced this throughout the winter
obviously. Would you tend to agree with me? I believe I'm going to try
some Corcedin and see if that helps. I'd prefer not to go to an allergist,
but if that's what it takes, and the Corcedin doesn't work, I suppose I'll
go look into that possibility.
I also seem to have some congestion over the past few weeks. Minor
congestion. I've had a lot of colds this winter also. I run about an hour
everyday outside. I've noticed even on days, occasionally when it rains, I
seem to have the problem. I also had this problem last spring, occasionally
during the summer also.
Answer:
I think you need to see an allergist as so many things can cause your symtoms
like mold which is a big problem in some areas right now. Also where are you
running? Are there factories near by or polluted water or even people burning
things or spraying lawns. There are so many things we do not take into
consideration that could be causing trouble. Think about some of these things
the next time you are running, it might narrow done the field. Most cases of allergic disease are too mild to justify the
inconvenience, and the considerable expense, of consultation with an
allergist. Most cases of allergic rhinitis are well controlled with OTC
antihistamines/decongestants. Of those that do not respond well to
those drugs most find relief from drugs prescribed by their family
doctors. Those whose symptoms are persistant regardless of these
measures are likely to be helped by consultation with an allergist.
By the way, Deborah, if we post our answers below the questions, the
threads become somewhat more readable. I don't understand why you would recommend
someone take pills if they could find out what their problem is and maybe
desensitize to it. I am not a medical person and don't claim to be but popping
pills forever just does not seem healthy to me. I'll second that statement as someone who is going through it. The
time commitment is probably the single biggest hurdle. It's not just
being at an office for the shot. It's also dealing on the phone and
in writing with messed up billing, long waits while they find someone
to give the shot because a nurse was out that day, and a host of other
time eating annoynaces. You have to be fairly committed to the
process over a long term. One item has surfaced recently in that people undergoing
desensitization generally do not develop new allergies and the ones
they have don't get worse and continue on to asthma. [refs in Clin. &
Exp. Allergy, 1998 28:911-916] (Note the use of generally, this isn't
100% but does show up in large studies and needs further
investigation) So even if there is no reduction in symptoms, there
isn't an increase either. In my case, that's reason enough to
continue. If they get worse, I would definitely be in trouble and I'm
not keen on developing any more. I don't have pollen allergies so I
can get relief any time of year by going outside. All that would
change. Actually when I was talking about desensitizing I meant more of an overall
approach like chealtion, no need for EDTA if you don't want it, there are
vitamin and minerals and glutithione chelations that can cleanse your body
and build your immune system. Acupuncture and massage for immune boosting
and discharging of toxins. Exercise and fibre blends that clean the body
and yes even colonics to rid the body of what builds up there. The liver
works much better when it isn't under assault and allergies and sensitivies
can leave.
